02 Dec 2025 Conway woman makes room for more than 600 nativities

By Lori Dunn

The birth of Jesus in a Bethlehem manger, also known as the Nativity, is an enduring image of Christmas and the Christian savior’s humble beginning.

Many homes have at least one Nativity set on display during the holiday season. A vintage set from Judy Rogers’ childhood sparked her interest in collecting all types of Nativity scenes. During the Christmas season, multiple Nativities can be found in every room of her Conway home. “I love Christmas and I love Jesus,” Rogers said. “As far back as I can remember, my family always had a Nativity scene as part of our Christmas decorations.

After she graduated college and moved into her first apartment, she purchased her first set. “The first Christmas decoration I purchased for my apartment was a Nativity. The first one I bought was the same style as the one I grew up with,” she said. Rogers is a retired music teacher who has taught in Conway, Little Rock, Dallas and San Antonio. She now has more than 600 Nativity scenes and nearly 500 ornaments with Nativity scenes displayed on several trees in her Conway home. “They mean a lot to me. I like the ones that are more unusual. Each one is distinct, and they come in all shapes and sizes,” she said.

The sets are stored in about 18 totes and kept in the garage until after Thanksgiving. The collection grew a lot after Rogers and her husband, Bill, retired and began traveling. She enjoys seeking Nativity sets as souvenirs when she visits other states or countries. Bill is a “good sport” about her collection. “My family has the same love for them I do,” she said.

St. Francis of Assisi is credited with staging the first Nativity scene in 1223. Their popularity spread to Germany in the 1600s and were typically displayed in front of medieval churches and temples.

Rogers has found unique sets in China, Costa Rica, India, Mexico, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, Vatican City, Wales and numerous other countries. “It’s fun tracking them down,” she said. She has also visited places where she was unable to find a set in person but has been able to find one online after she returned home.

Many have been purchased through Fair Trade organizations such as Woman’s Missionary Union’s World Craft, Ten Thousand Villages and SERRV International, along with other sites, including eBay and Etsy.

Nativities are depicted in various ways around the world. Sometimes only Jesus and Mary are included, especially in Orthodox and Catholic denominations, Rogers said. 

The sets are made from a variety of materials. She has one made of driftwood and another constructed out of grapevines and metals. In some countries, Nativity sets are woven together with sticks and corn husks. “They use the materials they have on hand to make them,” she said.

While at an airport in Jordan, she found a Nativity scene painted on an ostrich egg. In Portugal, many are made from cork due to the number of cork trees there. In many countries, the sets include animals native to that country. One from Australia depicts kangaroos and types of birds. One from Africa includes chickens and an anteater.

Any collector has favorite items and Rogers is no different. Her favorite is a set of nesting dolls painted by an artist named Yuri from Minsk, Belarus. Friends living in Minsk requested the set for her. The pieces are truly one-of-a-kind, she said.

Many other sets in her collection are found closer to home. Rogers enjoys looking for Nativity sets at antique shops and flea markets. “I like the hunt and going around looking for them. You can find some real treasures,” she said. Her largest set is about 3 feet tall with the smallest being only about half an inch high.

She has shared her sets with others by displaying several at Grace Presbyterian Church’s Festival of the Nativities. This year’s festival is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7.

While Rogers enjoys all aspects of Christmas and has also had a Santa Claus collection, it’s the story behind the Nativity that means the most to her.